Death After Life
by dawnwsullivan
Summary: One horrific event brings Sookie and Eric full circle and creates an opportunity for Eric to understand how Sookie's values have made her what she is. A One-Shot with a religious theme.


**Death After Life**

A Holy Thursday Story

A/N – This one-shot story departs from our usual SVM themes. If you are not into religion or spirituality, this will disappoint you. I wrote this story because at this time of year I am always reminded of what it means to be a good person. It is not my intention to turn Eric into a Christian. You do not have to be a Christian to good things. The lesson talked about here is about serving others out of love. Eric already does that with Sookie.

Re: The Color Purple has nothing to do with the story, other than it's Sookie's favorite movie (and mine) and the spiritual nature of the film fits with the theme of the story. Please watch the 'God is tryin' to tell you something' video on youtube. .com/watch?v=e7ZT5sajkys

This story is based upon characters created by Charlaine Harris.

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Any time anyone ever asks me what my favorite movie is, the answer is always the same; The Color Purple. There's just something about the themes of this movie that reach me deep down in my soul. The separation of the sisters, the oppression of women, the alienation of a daughter and her father, the reconciliation of a man who has committed a terrible sin, but ultimately redeems himself. These all play out in a beautifully filmed movie, and everything comes together perfectly and with tremendous impact in the scene where Shug hears the gospel song from her father's church. The music calls to her, returning her to her fathers' arms. I cry every time.

It was a Thursday night - the Thursday before Easter. I was alone in my house (Amelia had gone to New Orleans to spend the week with her dad), sitting on my well-worn but comfy couch, snuggled under my hideous but treasured afghan, just eating kettle corn and enjoying my favorite movie, The Color Purple.

I did not invite Hell to watch the movie with me, but it came anyway.

I heard the ugly voices for only a second; some overlapping each other and others just fragments of thought.

"_This bitch needs to be taught a lesson."_

"_We'll scare the shit out of her."_

"_I hope I hit her in the head with this brick and she drops dead."_

"_These assholes are crazy; after this is over I am getting so far away from them…"_

"_Fangbanging slut."_

Before I had a chance to react, bricks came crashing through the front and side windows. Without thinking I jumped off the couch and immediately collapsed in excruciating pain – my feet were shredded by the shattered glass of my windows. I grabbed the afghan and used it to push glass out of my way as I crawled over to check the front door. I did remember to lock it, thank God. I somehow managed to stand and flip the switch for the front yard floodlight. I could hear the thoughts of the 'men' that did this growing fainter by the second –they were running away. The sounds of their cars revving up out on Hummingbird Lane told me they were leaving.

I slid down the wall and allowed myself to cry, from the pain and the feelings of violation from the attack. There was only one thing I wanted. I called to him.

"_Eric." _

He was coming. I felt it.

I knew it was bad. There was a trail of blood from my couch to the door. The blood, which had been flowing steadily at first, was now merely seeping. The pain was stabbing me so sharply I could hardly stay conscious.

And then Eric kicked in the door.

His eyes met mine and the stabbing pain I felt in my feet intensified because of the pain I saw on his face. He picked me up and carried me out of the living room and into the kitchen. He sat me in a chair by the table, as if we were going to have a cup of coffee and chat. He removed my blue flannel pajama pants (the ones with the little penguins on them) and my pajama top so he could see where else I was hurt. The physical damage was limited to my feet.

"You felt me."

"Yes my Beloved."

He was examining my feet. I felt his rage being pushed back and replaced by his sadness and concern for me. He had gotten here so fast. He must have flown at vamp speed.

"Sookie there is a lot of glass embedded; I'll have to take it out first; then you will have my blood to heal."

I didn't argue.

Eric knew his way around my kitchen – he had lived here for almost a week. He started pulling out what he needed – tub, tweezers, etc. He filled the plastic tub with very warm water and brought it over to me. He also brought me a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass.

"Lover, drink this first."

I downed the shot in one gulp.

He caressed my face and placed some gentle kisses on my cheeks, my neck, my lips. Then he looked at me and with great care, lifted my feet to place them in the water.

I screamed in pain and watched as the water in the tub turned bright red. I could see the strain on Eric's face as he fought every vampire instinct he had, but he is strong and his desire to help me prevailed.

Eric let my feet sit in the water a few minutes, and then he lifted my right foot and inspected it.

"Sookie it's not too bad. Some of the glass has already fallen out due to the warm water opening up your vessels. There are just a few pieces still stuck. I will remove them quickly – just squeeze my arm as tightly as you can. You will not hurt me."

He pulled out the first piece and I wanted to die. I screamed, then started sobbing. I grabbed his forearm and tried to pull it away from me, but of course I couldn't move it. I just squeezed as he started to pull the second piece. I felt myself floating into unconsciousness.

I woke up and I was still in the kitchen chair. Eric was kneeling in front of me, so very gently wiping the soles of my feet with a soft washcloth, applying gentle pressure. The bleeding had almost stopped. He placed a soft kiss on each of my toes.

I was so moved by his tender display I thought my heart would break. I couldn't help but compare what Eric had just done for me with that night when I had done the same thing for him. The sense of déjà vu was almost poetic.

"Eric, you know I am a Christian. This means that I do my best to try to follow the teachings of God and Jesus Christ. I am far from successful, but I still try. What you have done for me was such a display of Christian love. It's like what Jesus himself did the night before he was crucified. He washed the feet of his disciples as a lesson for them to follow. No one is too high in status to serve another person. It was such a profound lesson for his followers, it became one of the cornerstones of Christianity. Seeing what you have done for me is like seeing that lesson in action."

"Sookie, is that what you were thinking of when you took me in after you found me running barefoot along the road?"

"Well I wasn't really thinking of what Christ did then, but it kind of did cross my mind afterwards. At the time, I just wanted to take care of you and make you whole again."

"Well, Lover, it's clear to see that the teachings of your God have helped form you into the kind and loving human you are. It's unfortunate that so many of your species, and mine, have not listened to these teachings. If they did, perhaps the history of relations between humans and vampires might have been recorded differently."

"Eric, all we can do is be responsible for ourselves, and follow the examples that we were given. I know you well, Viking. I know you are a force to be reckoned with if it is necessary, and I also know that in your world it is often necessary. But I also see how you treat your subjects and your employees. You can deny it, but you are kind and caring with them. You provide for them, you watch out for them, you protect them. Whatever kindnesses we do for others - if we can affect one or two people along the way, then we've done well."

"Sookie, you have affected me."

I looked into the eyes of my Viking lover. He had been through so much in his centuries of death after life. I knew he bore deep scars upon his soul from the things he had seen and done. And yet his priority was a small, inconsequential human woman. His only wish was to keep me safe and happy.

"I love you Eric."

"I love you too, Sookie."


End file.
